tips for grammar

1. Lesson3: Present Simple & Present Continuous:
A. Compare:
Present Continuous:
We use the continuous for things happening
at or around the time of speaking.
The action isn’t complete.
 The water is boiling. Can you turn it off?
 Listen to those people. What language are
they speaking?
 Let’s go out. It isn’t raining now.
 ‘I’m busy.’ ‘What are you doing now?’
 I’m getting hungry. Let’s go and eat.
We use the continuous for temporary
situations:
 I am leaving with some friends until I find a
place of my own.
 A: You are working hard today.
B: Yes I have a lot to do.
Present Simple
We use the simple for things in general
or things that happen repeatedly.
 Water boils at 100 degree Celsius.
Excuse me, do you speak English?
 It doesn’t rain very much in summer.
 What do you usually do at weekends?
 I always get hungry in the afternoon.
We use the simple for permanent
situations:
o My parents live in Egypt. They have lived
there all their live.
o Noha isn’t lazy. She works hard most of
the time.
B. I always do and I’m always doing:
I always do (something) = I do it every time:
 I always go to work by car. (not I’m always going)

2. ‘I’m always doing’ something has a different meaning. For example:
I’m always losing things = I lose things very often.
Perhaps too often, or more often than normal.
Two more examples:
 You are always watching TV. You should do something active.
= (You watch television too much.)
 Ali is never satisfied. He’s always complaining. = (He complains too much)
Exercises:
1) Are the underlined verbs right or wrong? Correct them in
necessary.
1. Water boils at 100 degrees Celsius.
………………………ok……………………………………………………………………………….
2. The water boils. Can you turn it off?
………………………is boiling……………………………..………………………………………..
3. Look! That man tries to open the door of your car.
…………………………………………………………………………………………………….……..
4. Can you hear those people? What do they talk about?
……………………………………………………………………………………………………….……
5. The moon goes round the earth in about 27 days.
………………………………………………………………………………………………………….…
6. I must go now. It gets late
…………………………………………..…………………………………………………………………
7. I usually go to work by car.
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

3. 8. ‘Hurry up. It is time to leave.’ Ok, I come.
……………………………………………………….……………………………………………………..
9. I hear you have got a new job. How do you get on?
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
10.Abdallah is never late. He’s always getting to work on time.
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………...
11. They don’t get on well. They’re always arguing.
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………...
2) Finish B’s sentences. Use always –ing.
1. A: I’ve lost my pen again.
B: Not again! ……………………….You are always losing your pen………………………………………………..
2. A: The car has broken down again.
B: That car is useless. It ………………………………….…………..…………………………….. .
3. A: Look! You’ve made the same mistake again.
B: Oh no, not again! I ……………………………..…………………………..…………………….. .
4. A: Oh, I’ve forgotten my glasses again.
B: Typical! ……………………………..………………………………………………………………….. .
3) Put the verb into the correct form, present continuous or
present simple:
1. Let’s go out. It …………………………..isn’t raining………………………………….. (not/rain) now.
2. Eman is very good at languages. She speaks (speak) four languages very well.
3. Hurry up! Everybody……………………………………………………..……. (wait) for you.
4. ‘…………………………….…….... (you/listen) to the radio?’ No, you can turn it off.
5. ‘……………………………………….(you/listen) to the radio?’ No, just occasionally.
6. The River Nile ……………………………….………….. (flow) into the Mediterranean.
7. The river ………………………….. (flow) very fast today – much faster than usual.
8. We usually …………………………….. (grow) vegetables in our garden, but this year we
…………………………………………………………………………….. (not/grow) any.
9. A: How is your English?
B: Not bad. I think it …………………………………………….………….. (improve) slowly.

4. 10.Fatma is in London at the moment. She …………………………….. (stay) at the Park
Hotel. She always…………………………….. (stay) there when she is in London.
11. Can you stop walking soon? I …………………………………….. (start) to feel tired.
12. A: Can you drive?
B: I …………………………….. (learn). My father …………………………….. (teach) me.
13. Normally I …………………………….. (finish) work at five, but this week I
……………………………..(work) until six to earn a little more money.
14. My parents …………………………….. (live) in Aswan. They were born there and have
never lived anywhere else. Where …………………………….. (your parents/live)?
15.Maha……………………………..(look) for a place to live. She …………………………….. (stay)
with her sister until she finds somewhere.
16. A: What …………………………….. (your brother/do)?
B: He is an architect, but he …………………………….. (not/work) at the moment.
17. (at a party) I …………………………….. (enjoy) parties, but I ……………………………..
(not/enjoy) this one very much.
Lesson4: Present Simple & Present Continuous 2:
A. We use continuous form for actions and happenings that have started but not
finished (they are eating / it is raining ….. etc). Some verbs (for example,
know&like) are not normally used in this way. We don’t say ‘I am knowing’ or
‘they are liking’; we say ‘I know’, ‘they like’.
The following verbs are not normally used in the present continuous:
like love hate want need prefer
know realize suppose mean understand believe remember
belong fit contain consist seem
 I am hungry, I want something to eat. (not I am wanting)
 Do you understand what I mean?
 Sally doesn’t seem very happy at the moment.

5. B. Think
When think means ‘believe’ or ‘have an opinion’, we don’t use the continuous:
 I think Sara is Canadian, but I’m not sure. (not I’m thinking)
 What do you think about my plan? (= what is your opinion?)
When think means ‘consider’, the continuous is possible:
 I’m thinking about what happened. I often think about it.
 Basma is thinking of giving up her job. (= she is considering it)
C. He is selfish and He is being selfish
He’s being = He’s behaving / He’s acting. Compare:
 I can’t understand why he’s being so selfish. He isn’t usually like that.
(being selfish = behaving selfishly at the moment)
 He never thinks about other people. He is very selfish. (not He is being)
(= He is selfish generally, not only at the moment)
We use am/is/are being to say how somebody is behaving. It is not usually
possible in other sentences:
 It’s hot today. (not it is being hot today)
 Sarah is very tired. (not is being tired)
D. See hear smell taste
We normally use the present simple (not continuous) with these verbs:
 Do you see that man over there? (not Are you seeing)
 This room smells. Let’s open a window.
We often use can + see/hear/smell/taste:
 I can hear a strange noise. Can you hear it?
E. Look feel
You can use the present simple or continuous to say how somebody looks or feels
now:

6.  You look very well today. Or you’re looking very well today.
 How do you feel now? OrHoware you feeling now?
but
 I usually feel tired in the morning. (not I’m usually feeling)
Exercises:
1) Are the underlined verbs right or wrong? Correct them in
necessary.
1. Nora is thinking of giving up her job.
………………………ok……………………………………………………………………………….
2. Are you believing in God?
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………..
3. I’m feeling hungry. Is there anything to eat?
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………..
4. This sauce is great. It’s tasting really good.
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………..
5. I’m thinking this is your key. Am I right?
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………..
2) Use the words in brackets to make sentences.

7. 3) Put the verb in the correct form, present continuous or
present simple:
1. Are you hungry? ………………….Do you want…………… (you/want) something to eat?
2. Don’t put the dictionary away. I …………………………………………………….. (use) it.
3. Don’t put the dictionary away. I ………………………………………………….. (need) it.
4. Who is the man? What …………………………………………….…………….. (he /want)?
5. Who is the man? Why ………………………………….………………….. (he /look) at us?
6. Ibrahim says he’s 80 years old, but nobody ………………..……………….. (believe) him.
7. She told me her name, but I …………………………….. (not / remember) it now.
8. I …………………………….. (think) of selling my car. Would you be interested in buying
it?
9. I ……………………………………….…………....……….. (think) you should sell your car. You
……………………………..……………………….……………….. (not /use) it very often.
10. Air ………………………..…………………….. (consist) mainly of nitrogen and oxygen.
4) Complete the sentences using the most suitable form of be.
Sometimes you must use the simple ( am /is /are) and
sometimes the continuous is more suitable (am/is/are being):
1. I can’t understand why ………he’s being………..so selfish. He isn’t usually like that.
2. Sarah …………………………….….. very nice to me at the moment. I wonder why.
3. You’ll like Basma when you meet her. She ………………………………….. very nice.
4. You’re usually very patient, so why …………………………….. so unreasonable about
waiting ten more minutes?
5. Why isn’t Hanan at work today? ……………………………………………..…………….. ill?

8. A. compare the past continuous (I was doing) and the past simple (I did):
past continuous (in the middle of an
action)
+69
 I was walking home when I mt Dalia.
(in the middle of an action)
 Soha was watching TV when we
arrived.
past continuous (complete action)
 I walked home after the party last
night. (all the way = completely)
 Soha watched TV a lot when she was
ill last year.
B. We often use the past simple and the past continuous together to say that
something happened in the middle of something else:
 Afafphoned while we were having dinner.
 It was raining when I got up.
 I saw you in the park yesterday. You were sitting on the grass and reading book.
 I hurt my back while I was working in the garden.
But we use the past simple to say that one thing happened after another:
 I was walking along the road when I saw Marwa. So I stopped, and we had a chat.
Compare
 When Basant arrived, we were having a
dinner. (= we had already started
before she arrived.)
 When Basant arrived, we had dinner. (=
Marwa arrived, and then we had
dinner)
C. Some verbs (for example, know and want ) are not normally used in the
continuous:
 We were good friends. We knew each other well. (not were knowing)
 I was enjoying the party, but Suzan wanted to go home. (not was wanting)

9. Exercises:
1. Write what were you doing at these times? Write sentences
as in the example. The past continuous isn’t always necessary
(see the second example).
1) ( at 8 o’clock yesterday evening) ……………….I was having a dinner………………………………….
2) (at 5 o’clock last Monday) ………………….I was on a bus on my way home…………………………..
3) (at 10.15 yesterday morning) ……………………………..…………………………………….
4) (at 4.30 this morning) ……………………………..………………………………………………..
5) (at 7.45 yesterday evening) ……………………………..………………………………………..
6) (half an hour ago) ……………………………..……………………………..……………………….
2. Use your own ideas to complete the sentences. Use past
continuous.
1) Maged phoned while ………………………..we were having dinner……………………………………………….
2) The doorbell rang while I ……………………………..……………………………………………..
3) We saw an accident while we ……………………………..………………………………………
4) Farida fell asleep while she ……………………………..…………………………………………..
5) The television was on, but nobody ……………………………..……………………………….
3. Put the verb n the correct form, past continuous or past
simple.
1) Eman …………………was waiting………………………… (wait) for me when I arrived (arrive).
2) What ……………….……………….. (you/ do) t this time yesterday? ‘ I was asleep.’
3) ‘…………………………………………..(you/ go) out last night?’ ‘No, I was too tired.’
4) How fast ………………………….. (you/ drive) when the accident …………………………..
(happen)?

10. 5) Asmaa………………………….. (take) a photograph of me while I …………………………..
(not/ look).
6) We were in very difficult position. We ………………………….. (not/know) what to do.
7) I haven’t seen Manal for ages. When I last ………………………….. (see) her, she
………………………….. (try) to find a job.
8) I ………………………….. (walk) along the street when suddenly I …………………………..
(hear) footsteps behind me. Somebody …………………………..(follow) me. I was
scared and I ………………………….. (start) to run.
9) When I was young, I ………………………….. (want) to be a pilot.
10) Last night I ………………………….. (drop) a plate when I ………………………….. (do)
the washing up. Fortunately it ………………………….. (not/ break).
4. Put the verb into the correct form, past continuous or past
simple.
1) I saw (see) Manal in town yesterday, but she …………………………..(not/ see) me. She
……………………………..(look) the other way.
2) I …………………………….. (meet) Nader and the Tamer at the airport a few weeks ago.
They …………………………….. (go) to Paris and I …………………………….. (go) to Rome. We
…………………………….. (have) a chat while we …………………………….. (wait) for our
flights.

11. 3) I …………………………….. (cycle) home yesterday when a man ……………………………..
(step) out into the road in front of me. I …………………………….. (go) quite fast, but
luckily I …………………………….. (manage) to stop in time and ……………………………..
(not/ hit) him.